In peak season, tomatoes steal the show

In a week where the continent has been revelling in Latino spirit — thanks to a certain Puerto Rican’s halftime concert at the Super Bowl who performed in Buenos Aires last weekend — the Americas may be at their most united.  The timing to talk up a prized Latin American ingredient, hence, is just right. The origins of Solanum lycopersicum, the juicy staple that brightens up salads and is a sauce base must, is South American, and mid-summer is the moment to put the thousands of varieties at the heart of the conversation.  While the Italians cleverly made passata di pomodoro their own on the world stage, tomatoes actually originated in the Andes, in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador. The small round berries were domesticated by the Aztec and Mayan civilisations in Mexico, then introduced in Europe by returning Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.  Back to 2026, and I attended the fourth Festival ¡Del Tomate!, organised by Dr. Maria Sance at Casa Vigil in Chachingo, Mendoza. In the winemaking province, the village of Chachingo is used as a kind of insult to say ‘arse end of nowhere’, but thanks to the food scientist’s efforts, it has become the epicenter of fruity festivities. In this most recent edition, the educational congress had been upgraded to Hilton status, but Dr. Sance reminded me of the first one I went to, held in her quincho four years ago. Using tomatoes as the hook, her Proyecto Labrar educates Mendoza smallholders on tomatoes’ and their seeds’ worth (as well as their monetary value) and encourages them to employ sustainable farming techniques. Then, via the gastronomy festival complete with live band held at Sance’s home, Casa Vigil, it shares that knowledge through food, wine culture and tempting food stands. (The only thing missing was a bar for Bloody Marys made with Zapotec Pleated heirloom tomato juice.)  Maria Sance’s upbringing on a farm in El Carrizal in Luján de Cuyo fostered her passion for Solanum lycopersicum. Her father worked in agriculture, growing tomatoes for processing, and the Sances had a self-sufficient lifestyle out of necessity. She earned her doctorate in biological sciences, and today is a teacher and researcher at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the National University of Cuyo. Returning to live on the family farm with her winemaker husband Alejandro Vigil, they later founded Casa Vigil together. It’s safe to say tomato (juice?) is in her blood. Dr. Maria Sance As summer gives way to autumn, it turns out tomatoes aren’t an excuse; they’re the reason for dozens of activities celebrating Mendoza’s culture blossom. ‘My First Tomatina’ hopefully won’t be my last. Around 100 of us danced this salsa together, a collaboration turning 300,000 kilos of tomatoes into sauce — from washing and parboiling plum ‘toms’ to loosen skins to pressing — so families have stored cupboard staples for several months. Truly fun foodie teamwork — I peeled and I bottled — it was wonderful to be involved in this annual gathering that spans all generations and bears a real sense of camaraderie and purpose.  Four years on, Casa Vigil’s four-day tomato festival, co-organised with Bioconexión, brings in big-name chefs, organises 10-hand dinners, visits organic producers to showcase their noble work, and holds inspirational seminars (local producers, however, were absent, a shame because we need to spotlight their work, as cooks are nothing without them).  Brought together by Casa Vigil’s head chef Iván Azar, from Nuema in Quito, Pía Salazar — named the world’s best pastry chef in 2024 — prepared a savoury lettuce and tomato desert while Tássia Magalhães of Nelita in São Paulo and Alejandro Ramírez of Rabo de Pez in Cartagena de Indias also collaborated. Celebrity French chef Christophe Krywonis, meanwhile, joined forces with República Aristides’ chef Fabricio Terrera for a similarly inspired dinner.  The festival itself hosted a dozen chefs serving up tomato-focused dishes, the all-inclusive ticket price allowing for wine and Chachingo brewery’s tomato lager (highly refreshing it was too, I stuck to it all night to keep cool during the balmy 30ºC evening). Solanum lycopersicum aren’t just part of the conversation, they are driving it forward. Culinary heroes in Buenos Aires In Buenos Aires, Parrilla Don Julio hosts its Fiesta del Tomate, in which the award-winning steak house and its sister restaurant El Preferido de Palermo bring global culinary heroes to the barrio to put heirloom varieties at the centre of the celebratory menus. This year’s seminars brought together Argentine export Pablo Vicari and Aitor Arregi of Elkano in the Basque Country and Josh Niland of Saint Peter in Sydney to share their noble connections with the sea, joyfully joined by local seafood maestro Gabriel Oggero of Crizia. While the theme may appear to dial away from the meat purveyor’s remit, the message about shared passions and taking sustainability seriously was clear from all sides: “Catch less fish. And when you do, use more of it,” said Niland.  El Preferido Don Julio At La Comarca, a 230-hectare ranch near San Antonio de Areco, Don Julio’s team led by chef Guido Tassi cultivates organic produce, including 38 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, also rearing free-range hens and adhering to sustainable Black Angus and Hereford cattle farming.  While the two lunches at each establishment were invite-only, there’s no doubt about restaurateur Pablo Rivero’s objective. From the decor, vines hanging from overhead lighting, stands decking the streets for passers-by to choose green zebra toms to play around with at home, and dishes prepared by Niland, Vicari and Arregi, he deftly moves the conversation away from beef to include sustainable agriculture and reviving heirloom varieties that could have been lost forever.  Going back to unity across the Americas, Bad Bunny dined at Ness in Nuñez last Wednesday. While we know he enthusiastically became an instant ‘flanatic’ of Ness’ halva flan, let’s assume he also dined on a seasonal staple of an heirloom tomato salad. It is the season, after all.